Michelada

Run, Forrest, run! The only time I run is when someone is chasing me (if then), and perhaps because of my unwillingness to run, I'm fascinated by people who do — particularly the freakish marathon runners. So when my friends suggested that we meet at Mezcal at 6:30 a.m. to watch the Colfax Marathon, I was game. Mezcal usually opens at 10 a.m. on weekends for brunch, but we got special dispensation for the race — and we weren't the only people sitting streetside, watching the fanatical exercisers with their skinny bodies, a happy reminder for the un-athletic girl that you can be too thin. There's nothing better than planting your non-running ass on a plastic seat right along the race course, drinking an alcoholic beverage while you critique people who are clearly out of their minds for choosing to run 26.2 (or in the case of this mis-measured route, 26.7) miles. While Mezcal is known for its amazing tequila selection, I decided to go with a beer in honor of the early-morning hour. But when I say "beer," I really mean a michelada ($4). This Mexican specialty is a beer cocktail, with beer — Tecate, in this case — served over ice in a glass rimmed with salt and partially filled with lime juice and a mixture of bottled salsas (Valentina Salsa Picante, Salsa Chiltepín Doña Maya, etc.), Maggi Soy Sauce and Worcestershire. While watching hundreds of runners pass — they still had more than half the marathon to go — was fascinating, any day on Mezcal's patio is a winner. Along Colfax, you can see it all, from the ridiculous to the sublime. If life is like a box of chocolates, I'll take this piece with the nuts.